Posted on Mar 15, 2014
SGT Chris Hill
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I see many different mos's referring to others as "pogs", now personally it doesn't bother me in a way, but we as the military have many mos's that don't do the same training nor missions. The hazing derives from the lack of knowledge of knowing that not everyone will be kicking in doors or not airborne. Not everyone knows exactly what they're getting themselves into when enlisting. Some will laugh that others don't know how to shoot weapons with expertise, or how to prepare to jump out of a plane. However if you place an infantry man in an artillery mos, will they know how to operate? Probably not! Each mos is unique, no matter what we might say. 92G's are some of the hardest working soldiers with crazy hours, but they are most made fun of. I myself don't get called out on high risk missions, but not by choice! I personally would be honored to spend a couple weeks with each mos, to get a feel of what all aspects of the army does on a daily basis. If I got called to go to Afghanistan, I'd go! My mos doesn't go there though. I'd be all for doing all those crazy missions that others get to do, I'd replace someone that doesn't want to go in a heartbeat. I was literally interviewed by a CSM to deploy with another unit that's not my mos related, and got turned down bc why? I didn't score above a 32 on my m16.

What are your thoughts on mos's that don't deploy to "combat areas" without choice? What about referring to soldiers as "pogs"? Do people believe that it's a soldiers personal choice where their unit deploys to?
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MAJ Knowledge Management Specialist
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Pogs are what we called the cardboard coins AAFES gave us as change in Iraq because they had the cut the weight of the stuff they brought into country.
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Maj Chris Nelson
Maj Chris Nelson
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I still have a few dollars worth of those!
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CW2 Electronic Warfare Technician
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POG = Personnel Other than Grunt. GRUNT = General Replacement UN-Trained. So a POG is anyone who has some training and experience, i.e. not the FNG.
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SSG V. Michelle Woods
SSG V. Michelle Woods
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SSG Carroll
Off topic but I just want to say if anyone called you any name they'd be braver than me because you look really mean and tough in your profile pic. 

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SPC David Wyckoff
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Edited >1 y ago

Never heard the term POG until my kids went in the military. We were REMFs when I was in. I was good with that. In the rear with the gear, they used to say. I considered myself a dirty nasty leg grease monkey REMF. When those infantry boys needed their four deuce generators fixed I was all to happy to do it or the Mech Inf needed those engine packs in the 113s fixed we were johnny on the spot. Actually we fixed everything from coffee pots to wheel and track vehicles because we were a rolling shop.
As far as being deployed, the grunts were happy to see us coming. We were a contact team and usually carried extra cartons of cigs, candy, razors, and reading material from the px van. But then again that was a different time. We didn't have the wire or FOBs.

I have seen people get defensive about being called POGs but I think that's speaks to a deeper insecurity on their part. I am proud of my service. I pushed my kids to do more in the military and go farther. I do the same thing to my grandson. He wants to be a Ranger in the worst way. Because my Pop is Navy, my son and oldest daughter are Air Force and my baby daughter and I are Army, Holidays and family suppers can get pretty interesting.

Honestly I never viewed any hazing (if you could call it that) that I got in the military as anything other than team building.

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CPT(P) Company Commander
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POG, REMF, etc...none of that bothers me. I was an FNG, a cherry, when I first enlisted, big deal. That was true - I was green as the day is long. We all were, when we started! Maybe I am too old school sometimes but I don't think this stuff is offensive either. 
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SSG V. Michelle Woods
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If I'm called "morale support", is that considered hazing? 
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SSG Retired!!!
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Saying stupid lazy pogs is not hazing.
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SSG V. Michelle Woods
SSG V. Michelle Woods
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Lol I mean it's hateful and not nice but it's not hazing. 

To call someone "morale support" isn't hazing either. I suppose depending on who you ask, "morale support" could be a compliment ;)
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SSG Retired!!!
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^^^^ in was gonna say that, but I'm not mean like SSG Woods.hahaha
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CW3 Network Architect
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I don't consider it hazing either.  I do, however, reserve the right to consider anyone using it towards me a douchebag and mentally write them off as not having anything useful to contribute to the discussion.  Not worth my time to get upset about...  it's not like someone's throwing the n-word at me.
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SGT Journeyman Plumber
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Calling someone a POG is hazing in your book SGT H? To me that sounds like the mindset of the newer, weaker, more politically correct Army that we have today. Either you're a grunt, or your not. If you're going to take it personally when you're referred to as a POG then in my opinion you need thicker skin.

As far as whether it's a personal choice as to where your unit deploys to, of course it isn't, and you knew that when you asked it. That doesn't change that when you enlisted you opted for your particular non combat related MOS. You had the option to go combat arms, and you opted out. The price of that choice is to be a POG.

This doesn't make you less of a soldier. Doesn't matter what your MOS is, if you do it well then I'll give you all the props in the world. As others have mentioned, infantryman wouldn't get very far without support. Embrace your POGness, and the next time someone tries to put you down with that term punch the guy in the face. Guarantee you he'll look at you under a whole new light afterwords.
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SGT Chris Hill
SGT Chris Hill
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I've been in going on 9 years, my mentality is far different than many that came in after me. Pog, like I stated, doesn't necessarily offend me, it's when it's used in a contense referring that pog's are weak or lazy.
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SGT Journeyman Plumber
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In that context I would refer you to the second to last sentence in my post, and ensure you have a good plan for breaking contact in the event he doesn't speak grunt language very well, or I suppose too well depending upon your point of view.
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1SG First Sergeant
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As I read your post the only thing that jumps out at me is Hazing. Calling me a POG may or may not be right but it is not close to hazing. This is one of the issues I feel we have with the military. If someone says or does anything slightly offensive or hurtful it is considered hazing.

 

Now I am no infantry Soldiers so you can call me POG all day long. I am great at my job and without me you cant kick in doors. Call me anything you want. It is about being proud of who you are. The Combat arms guys call us POGs because they are proud of what they do and not all people can do it.

 

Would it be hazing if I stood around with a bunch of Soldiers talking about how civilians don't know how hard it is to be a Soldiers. Those civilians got it easy cause I fight for their freedom. If I use the word civilians in the same context as POGs am I hazing the civilian population. We as a military really need to get away from using words like 'hazing" and "toxic leader" as a catch all. 

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CPT(P) Company Commander
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I completely agree! This stuff isn't hazing, the military brotherhood teases each other, all in good fun. I've never seen anybody adversely affected on mission by this kind of stuff. Thick skin will get you far in life...
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CW3 Network Architect
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Agreed.  It's not hazing.  It can be used derogatorily.  If someone were to do that to me, I'd just write them off as not having anything worthwhile to contribute to the discussion....

And laugh when they came to me because their comms were out.
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SGT Montana Crawford
SGT Montana Crawford
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Great post, SSG Schmidt. I don't mean to "attack the victim", but if someone's called a POG in a non-joking manner and maybe as part of a chewing out, they probably screwed up and stepped on someones toes. Good Soldiers who are highly motivated and excel at their job? They really wont have to worry about it.
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CW3 Armament Technician
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Edited >1 y ago
Everyone's a pogue fobbit until the ammo, fuel, food, or water doesn't show up. Then all of the sudden the larger portion of the army suddenly becomes relevant to grunt types.
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SSG Brad Shepherd jr
SSG Brad Shepherd jr
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Well put. Chris
It's kind of funny that way.
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CW3 Network Architect
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Wish we could up-vote things more than once.

SSG Bergevine, yeah, you forgot some..  everyone's a pogue until the ammo, fuel, food, water, PAY, PROMOTION ORDERS, or MAIL doesn't show up.
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PO1 Machinist Mate
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How is calling someone a POG hazing? This makes no sense to me at all. POG, Boot, FNG, are all endearing terms. It's apart of the dysfunctional family that is the Armed Services. 
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SSG Operations
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Grunt = Infantry
POG = Personnel Other than Grunt

If it upsets you so much, re-class and become a grunt. Did some big bad Grunt call you a POG? So what? I'm an MP, I am proud of being an MP. Is an MP a POG? Yup, so what? It's what I chose to do in the Army. You made the choice of being a 92G, you could of been 11B, but you didn't chose it. I could have been 11B, but i didn't chose it ether.
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SGT Chris Hill
SGT Chris Hill
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Wow you did not read it clearly. I'm not a 92G, I was simple stating that they work hard and long hours. No, no "big bad grunt" called me a pog, you staff sergeant do not pay attention to detail. Not everyone knows which mos they want when they enlist. You should go back and re-read what I said and note that I said that the word pog doesn't necessarily bother me, it's only the idea that Soldiers will use it in a degrading way and talk as if any other mos is worthless. Obviously we all can't be grunts, I wouldn't want to be.
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Cpl Christopher Bishop
Cpl Christopher Bishop
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SSG Gustav Schirach...yes we all had some choices upon enlistment, the questions become the reasons for those choices---which in the military do include the levels of potential personal risk one is willing to subject themselves to. Or how many are only in it for the benefits they may receive afterwards and could care less about any bigger picture cause or belief in our Nation.
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SSG Retired!!!
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Pog I don't think is a hazing word, its more of an MOS pride/competition.
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